Is anyone else concerned with front row depth if packer and matelino injure we going to struggle.

Off the top of my head I'd say we have probably close to the best front row depth in the entire comp (Panthers have better), so no I'm not concerned. The Roosters should be concerned about their front row depth though, as should Brisbane.

Is anyone else concerned with front row depth if packer and matelino injure we going to struggle.

At the moment apart from Packer and Matulino we still have Grant, Twal, Eisenhuth, Sue, Aloiai and Felise.

That is 8 players out of 30 as front row - How much depth do we need?

I really like Hooth as a starting lock, he has a good motor, good defensive technique but plenty of size to match the props as required, plus with his height a bit of offload.

So whilst he doesn't play prop, I agree he's as good as one.

I don't think Aloiai works at prop, but Sue... no reason why not, he's not laterally mobile enough as a backrower for me. But the depth is pretty strong for me, more towards the backrow, but if you take prop injuries then you do promote Sue, Hooth or Grant.

I think the Sharks will slide, but they seem to have a strong culture down there that keeps them in the game.

Ava is a good bench prop who is better than Latimore, so they will get something out of his signing.

Not sure Watto , lot of seasoned professionals at the club

Reckon Gallen and Lewis will want to go out on top if they can and I'm sure the coaching staff will want the same

Just not sure how the spine will gel would be the biggest concern , losing Bird and Maloney won't be easy for them

They'll be at the pointy end once the whips are cracking

Cows are still premiership favourites for mine , Morgan learnt so much in 2017 and bring McLean , fit Thurston and Scott in also and they will be hard to beat , they just don't go away every match

The Cows are going to be an INSANE team next year. Suddenly everyone will have belief "we made it without Thurston and Scott". I don't think they are loosing many people either. Definite top 4 fav.

The Sharks will be interesting. Gallen and Lewis have lost a LOT of speed. They still can play a tough game and I think can still batter on, but neither can play 80 and should move back to 60 minute stints. Gallen too is training for boxing, and this mixed training may not make him the best league player (then again SBW did well). With Townsend and Moylan the halves have potential if they GEL. Dugan likewise at Fullback could work or break their season when he gets injured. Their weakest spot is the Centers and they will miss Bird a lot.... Not writing them off by a long shot, in the 8 to be knocked out by the COWS.

Ava will go well there. Just a shame that everyone must rat on the tigers when leaving.

I think the Sharks will slide, but they seem to have a strong culture down there that keeps them in the game.

Ava is a good bench prop who is better than Latimore, so they will get something out of his signing.

Not sure Watto , lot of seasoned professionals at the club

Reckon Gallen and Lewis will want to go out on top if they can and I'm sure the coaching staff will want the same

Just not sure how the spine will gel would be the biggest concern , losing Bird and Maloney won't be easy for them

They'll be at the pointy end once the whips are cracking

Cows are still premiership favourites for mine , Morgan learnt so much in 2017 and bring McLean , fit Thurston and Scott in also and they will be hard to beat , they just don't go away every match

The Cows are going to be an INSANE team next year. Suddenly everyone will have belief "we made it without Thurston and Scott". I don't think they are loosing many people either. Definite top 4 fav.

The Sharks will be interesting. Gallen and Lewis have lost a LOT of speed. They still can play a tough game and I think can still batter on, but neither can play 80 and should move back to 60 minute stints. Gallen too is training for boxing, and this mixed training may not make him the best league player (then again SBW did well). With Townsend and Moylan the halves have potential if they GEL. Dugan likewise at Fullback could work or break their season when he gets injured. Their weakest spot is the Centers and they will miss Bird a lot.... Not writing them off by a long shot, in the 8 to be knocked out by the COWS.

Ava will go well there. Just a shame that everyone must rat on the tigers when leaving.

I think the Sharks will slide, but they seem to have a strong culture down there that keeps them in the game.

Ava is a good bench prop who is better than Latimore, so they will get something out of his signing.

This whole "culture" thing wears thin pretty quickly. In the Sharks' case it seems built on thuggish, macho, blokey, chip-on-the-shoulder, pay homage to Gallen, fake crap and Ava is a completely different type of guy. I don't know how he's going to fit into that mess.

Yes, that us against everything, the world is against us etc., etc. can only be kept up for so long. Ricky Stuart cultivates the same "culture" and have a look at how that goes.

Flanagan is his mini me. Don't forget he got a 1 year holiday for overseeing a performance enhancing drug regime at the club, and so was able to come back and rebuild that "culture".

I think that they will start to slide badly this year. Don't forget they have also lost their chairman (after being caught with coke) and their CEO jumped ship as well.

Really good extra points you make. I think Flanagan is a shocking advertisement for contemporary professional coaching. He could only get a head coach job at the Sharks. The whole system there seems very, very suss.

I think the Sharks will slide, but they seem to have a strong culture down there that keeps them in the game.

Ava is a good bench prop who is better than Latimore, so they will get something out of his signing.

This whole "culture" thing wears thin pretty quickly. In the Sharks' case it seems built on thuggish, macho, blokey, chip-on-the-shoulder, pay homage to Gallen, fake crap and Ava is a completely different type of guy. I don't know how he's going to fit into that mess.

While its clear Gallen typifies the mantra down there they embrace, it appears more wider spread than just the NRL Team.

The Community and JRLC's appear to have a very solid embrace to it also [Gymea Gorilla's are fanatical]. I'm not one who embraces the 'tribal' chit chat we hear regularly about the Sydney Clubs, but if one club embraces a tribalism towards their rugby league, its definitely the Shire.

I've known Wade Graham before he became a Shark, and his temperament prior to arriving in the Shire was very much like Ava [without the religious tone]. I feel if he believes the community embrace him, we may see a different Ava over the next 18mths.

Ultimately, I do believe they will slide down the ladder in 2018.

"Did someone buy you the internet hero play book for Christmas and you've only just started reading it?" - Nelson 21/04/2017

I think the Sharks will slide, but they seem to have a strong culture down there that keeps them in the game.

Ava is a good bench prop who is better than Latimore, so they will get something out of his signing.

This whole "culture" thing wears thin pretty quickly. In the Sharks' case it seems built on thuggish, macho, blokey, chip-on-the-shoulder, pay homage to Gallen, fake crap and Ava is a completely different type of guy. I don't know how he's going to fit into that mess.

While its clear Gallen typifies the mantra down there they embrace, it appears more wider spread than just the NRL Team.

The Community and JRLC's appear to have a very solid embrace to it also [Gymea Gorilla's are fanatical]. I'm not one who embraces the 'tribal' chit chat we hear regularly about the Sydney Clubs, but if one club embraces a tribalism towards their rugby league, its definitely the Shire.

I've known Wade Graham before he became a Shark, and his temperament prior to arriving in the Shire was very much like Ava [without the religious tone]. I feel if he believes the community embrace him, we may see a different Ava over the next 18mths.

Ultimately, I do believe they will slide down the ladder in 2018.

Wade Graham, Luke Lewis, Andrew Fifita and, most notably, Matt Moylan just sold themselves for the dollar. It fits perfectly with the Dugan signing as well. It's all about them!

Let's pay lip service to the community and the diehard fans. Sure, they've won themselves a premiership in 2016 and good luck to them. But the "club" is rotten to the core. I just think Ava is a better man than they are.

But, when it comes to the crunch, I'm sure Flanagan will resort to type and go for the guys who buy into his grubby, delusional rants and brings the game to its lowest level of acceptance and regard by the rank-and-file punters out there. Ava is a much, much better man than that, so I expect to see him in the lower grades before too long.

Cronulla are the new Manly. The rational and decent NRL fans know they are suss and want to see them fail. Me included!!

Yep pretty standard stuff from all players. Our new recruits would be saying similar - only we havent played finals footy for quite some time.
Its all good incentive for our club to change where we are at.
All very well to point the finger at the players that leave and accuse them of not having what it takes to succeed, but most have performed well at their new clubs and I expect Ava will do much the same.

Ava will probably improve with the better players that he now will have around him at the Sharks.
And no doubt will with the benefit of having a real coach,
That’s something he hasn’t ai our club for most of his time here,
Maybe he got more money as well; if he did ; good for him,
The short period that he had being coached by IC. Sounds like it wasn enough to change his mind.
Players have to back themselves in whatever decisions they make.
If he makes the Sharks top team, he’l certainly find life easier than he’s had it here
He did his best for us,
I hope he goes well.except when the play Tigers